The FBI has opened a criminal investigation into delays in medical care at hospitals run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, FBI Director James Comey said Wednesday.

WASHINGTON – The FBI has opened a criminal investigation into delays in medical care at hospitals run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, FBI Director James Comey said Wednesday.

Comey disclosed the investigation in response to a question at a House Judiciary Committee hearing. "We're working with the VA (inspector general) to follow it wherever the facts take us," he said.

The disclosure came two days after an internal VA audit revealed that 57,400 veterans have waited more than three months to see a doctor. The audit found "undesirable scheduling practices" or staffers who were ordered to "modify scheduling dates" at 112 facilities, including the Cincinnati VA Medical Center. The 112 sites will face additional review.

The audit broadened the scope of the VA's failings, which has ignited a maelstrom of controversy that resulted in last month's resignation of Eric Shinseki, the secretary of the department. The VA, which has a $160 billion budget, is the U.S. government's fifth largest agency.

The FBI was asked by federal prosecutors to initiate the probe, said a Justice Department official, who requested anonymity to discuss the investigation. Prosecutors in Phoenix and the Justice Department's criminal division in Washington are overseeing the probe.

The FBI's involvement escalates concerns of possible criminal conduct by VA employees, though it's unclear if investigators will find any basis for prosecution.

Some of the worst problems unearthed so far have been at the Phoenix VA, where 1,700 veterans seeking treatment were "at risk of being lost or forgotten," the inspector general said in a report last month. The VA has confirmed that at least 35 veterans died while awaiting treatment in Phoenix, although officials say they do not know whether the deaths were related to long waiting times for appointments.

Richard Griffin, the VA's acting inspector general, issued a scathing report last month that confirmed allegations of excessive waiting time at VA hospitals and inappropriate scheduling practices. He recently told lawmakers his investigators were probing for wrongdoing at 69 agency medical facilities. Neither Griffin nor other officials have not identified the facilities.

Comey's remarks came as the Senate was poised to vote on a measure making it easier for veterans who have encountered delays getting initial visits to receive VA-paid treatment from local doctors instead. The measure closely resembles a bill approved unanimously Tuesday in the House, prompting optimism among lawmakers from both parties that a compromise version could be on its way soon to President Barack Obama.

The White House said Wednesday it supports the Senate bill. "Maybe we can show the United States of America that people can come together on a very, very important issue and do it in rapid fashion," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

The audit released this week said any indications of purposeful or improper actions would be turned over to the agency's inspector general – although no indication was given that any such wrongdoing was found at any facility, including Cincinnati.

The report was also unclear as to what the additional review would include. Also up for further review are the VA hospitals in Cleveland and Indianapolis, as well as community clinics in Fort Knox, Kentucky, and suburban Louisville.

The local 277-bed VA hospital in Corryville treats about 42,000 of the region's roughly 200,000 veterans annually. The medical center, which has outpatient clinics in Bellevue, Florence, Hamilton, Union Township, Georgetown and Lawrenceburg, sees about 570,000 outpatient and 4,300 inpatient visits per year.

The Enquirer reported last week that 31 percent of local patients seeking new primary medical care saw a doctor within 14 days and that the overall average wait time was 29 days. The Enquirer's report was based on federal data obtained by USA TODAY.

Nationally, the USA TODAY data showed that more than 356,000 veterans sought out new medical care from Oct. 1, 2013, through March 31 of this year. Of those, just two out of five, or 40 percent, saw a doctor within the target of 14 days. The average wait was nearly double that – 27 days.

In addition, The Enquirer reported last month that the local VA paid out 10 wrongful death claims for $1.6 million between 2001 and 2012. That was based on data collected by the Center for Investigative Reporting that showed the VA paid out nearly 1,000 such claims during that time for more than $200 million.